Importance of philosophy of science to the history ...

Bibliographic description

Importance of philosophy of science to the history of medical thinking

author:

Zalewski Zbigniew

Journal title:

Croatian Medical Journal

volume:

40

issue:

1

date of publication:

1999

pages:

8-13

ISSN:

0353-9504

eISSN:

1332-8166

language:

English

Journal language:

English

abstract in english:

Popular approach to the history of medicine rests on naive assumptions that: 1) only the present state of medical knowledge can be counted as scientific and only those elements of the farmer knowledge and practice which fitted the body of contemporary science should be regarded by the historians of medicine (presentism); 2) medical
sciences, like the other natura! sciences, portray natura! phenomena as they really are (naturalism); 3) progress in sciences consists of cumulative growth of information and explanation. The twentieth century philosophical critique of science revealed that none of these assumptions were true. Empirical facts, which are taken as a basis for any true knowledge, are dependant on the presumed theories; theories are intertwined into a broader socio-cultural context; theory-changing processes are caused by social factors rather than by the theoretical con tent. Therefore, it is a common task ofhistorians of medicine and philosophers of science to reveal all
theoretical and cultural premises on which our comprehension of the contemporary medicine is founded.